


Art and Artisty of Being Me, The

by westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist



Category: The West Wing
Genre: F/M, Missing Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-11-24
Updated: 2008-11-24
Packaged: 2019-05-30 09:56:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,464
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15094349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist/pseuds/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist
Summary: A missing scene from ED2. Donna hears the news about Leo's collapse





	Art and Artisty of Being Me, The

**Author's Note:**

> A copy of this work was once archived at National Library, a part of the [ West Wing Fanfiction Central](https://fanlore.org/wiki/West_Wing_Fanfiction_Central), a West Wing fanfiction archive. More information about the Open Doors approved archive move can be found in the [announcement post](http://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/8325).

  
Author's notes: A/N: Some of the dialogue isn't mine!  


* * *

JOSH: (shouting over the noise) What the hell is going on in Ohio?  
DONNA: You look terrible.  
JOSH: The make up's really working, then.  
DONNA: Minnesota's official--and Bruce and Gene need a minute.  
JOSH: Who?  
DONNA: From the Transition team.  
JOSH: Tell them we're going to wait and see if there's a transition first!  
DONNA: They said it was important.  
(they exit the Ballroom, Foo Fighters still playing, to find two men in suits waiting for Josh at the end of the corridor)  
JOSH: Interrupt me after two minutes.  
DONNA: If a state is called?  
JOSH: Or make something up. Two minutes. (Josh gently guides Donna on her way and approaches the men) Bruce ... Gene ... (shakes their hands) ... how are you?

Donna walked away, the feel of Josh’s hand on her back. There was nothing new about him guiding her in that way but in light of the fact that his hand had been on her bare back only hours before, she realised she was tingling. She gave herself a mental shake. Now was not the time for feeling the euphoria of a giddy school girl.

There was so much to do. She felt as though she was being pulled in 10 different directions. But she was monumentally pumped. The air was thick with the sense of the potential for history. People moved quickly, purposefully. The sound of Foo Fighters still emanated from the Ballroom. Voices around the hotel corridors shouted requests for data. The sound of television network commentators striving to make sense of the count and finding ways to make it entertaining for their audience dominated airspace.

Donna didn’t want to stray too far as she only had a few minute to kill before she needed to swoop in and whisk Josh away from whatever kind of hell he’d found himself in this time! Her eyes swept the room and came to rest on a table of cold drinks. She’d had far too much coffee today but still needing a caffeine hit her eyes rested on a bottle of Diet Coke. She narrowed in on it, the promise of the coldness of the drink luring her in. Opening it quickly she drank thirstily. The rooms were crowded and hot. Maybe a few minutes to sit still would be beneficial, help her to pace herself.

Sitting in one of the arm chairs, she briefly closed her eyes. She was due to rescue Josh and he’d be expecting her. Oddly enough, she wasn’t bothered by his belief that she would, yet again, save him from a situation he didn’t want to be in. Although she knew that some may see it as Donna stepping back into assistant mode, she chose to see it as another example of his trust and reliance on her. 

She sighed. Life had certainly got complicated in the last 24 hours. A conversation with Josh was needed sooner rather than later. Although she knew how she felt and she was pretty sure she knew how Josh felt, this whatever it was, this as yet undefined relationship had to be defined. No meandering aimlessly through life, together but not ever secure in that togetherness. Donna wasn’t interested in that kind of life! This was too important. If they weren’t on the same page, then Donna needed to walk away from him. It was that awareness that saw her distance herself from him, emotionally. She hated that she had practically ran out of his room when he was being so emotionally available. When he asked how she was feeling, with that look on his face, that tone of voice that made her go weak at the knees, she needed all her will power to not throw her arms around his neck and show him just what she was feeling. If he wasn’t interested in this as a long term thing, then she had to leave now. Before her heart smashed beyond repair. While she still had some vestige of her hard earned self esteem.

She didn’t doubt Josh’s devotion. He’d proven time and again he could make her his priority. From the most obvious display of travelling to Germany in the middle of a major crisis to some of the lesser known actions that meant more to her. He found the time to research and then hastily scrawl a memo to the President when her high school teacher Mrs Morello retired. Those few minutes in the Oval, watching the President talk on the phone to her mentor were some of the proudest of her life. Josh had done all that, even when he was overwhelmed with all the demands of the day. He’d found a few minutes to put her first. Her short time being Canadian? Josh had worked furiously behind the scenes that night to find a way to restore her citizenship. Again, he didn’t have to do that. He could have sent her home, enjoyed the evening with Amy and sorted it out in the morning. He didn’t. He fought for her and pissed Amy off in the process, something for which Donna couldn’t feel too guilty! 

Yes, Josh had proven his devotion to her many times over the years but as for anything deeper? Well, they needed to talk. If the campaign staff hadn’t decided to form a branch of ‘insomniac politicos anonymous’ in Josh’s room in the wee small hours of Election Day, they might have talked things through then. Neither of them was too successful in the area of long term relationships and she’d seen Josh go to great lengths to avoid personal discussions. But she couldn’t be with him and be in relationship limbo. She had to know what he felt, what he wanted and he had to be clear. It wasn’t going to be enough to have him just agree to what she perceived the relationship to be. He had to reach out first and Donna was just starting to realise that maybe he had been trying.

Lost in her memories, Donna became aware of commotion. Opening her eyes, she sat upright in her chair. She’d been around long enough to know that something big was happening, something not related to the election. No one was running, no one was shouting but the atmosphere had changed as had the dynamics of the room. Suddenly there were a few others who hadn’t been there before. Donna found herself facing an agitated Ronna. Donna grabbed her by the hand and dragged her off behind a potted palm. Ronna looked like she was about to lose it and Donna didn’t want staffers and their families to witness her meltdown.

“It’s Leo,” was all she said but it was enough to make the blood in Donna’s veins run cold.

“What about him?” she asked, not sure she wanted to hear the answer.

“Annabeth found him. He was unconscious in his room. He wasn’t breathing. The Secret Service called for an ambulance. He’s on his way to hospital but Donna,” Ronna broke off, eyes filling with tears. “The prognosis isn’t good, he might not make it.”

Donna leant against the wall and felt herself slid down it until she rested on the floor. Leo. It couldn’t be. Numbness overtook her as she tried to process what Ronna had just told her. She shook her head in disbelief as she recalled her last conversation with him, early that day. He’d asked her if she’d managed to get any sleep on election eve. She knew she was blushing as she stammered out a reply “A little.” The way Leo smirked at her she wondered if he’d guessed just how she’d spent last night. Now she may never know. Leo may never know. Josh! How on earth was she going to tell him? It was a given that she should be the one to tell him. Tonight of all nights! Memories of the Illinois Primary stabbed at her. If Leo didn’t survive, Josh was going to be devastated. Not just for the loss of his guiding hand as he navigated the waters of a new administration. Josh would feel the loss personally. He’d have lost his friend, a man connected to his past and his father and a man to whom Josh had a fierce loyalty.

Donna slowly rose to her feet and walked to find Josh. Seeing him in the corridor, talking into his phone she allowed herself the luxury of a few moments to watch him before his world caved in around him. Their talk was going to have to wait. He was going to need her to be his rock and she would hold him together through this. After all, isn’t that what you do for those you love?


End file.
